Unable to have children, I embarked on transformative journeys to Vietnam, Malaysia, and Cambodia, where I dedicated my time to supporting girls who had fallen victim to sexual trafficking. This experience profoundly altered my perspective on life. It awakened a deep awareness of the origins of the products I consumed. In response, I initiated a campaign on my personal Instagram account, named 'Be Cause,' aiming to shed light on the issue.
To protect the identities of these survivors, I ensured their anonymity.
My role encompassed content creation, photography, design, and writing.
COPY:
It is easy to feel powerless in the world today. You don't have to look far to find many negative things happening regularly. It is easy to feel overwhelmed and insignificant in the face of some of these huge problems - particularly the problems that have been around for a very long time. But, I have come to realize that we have more power than I used to think.
It is easy to feel powerless in the world today. You don't have to look far to find many negative things happening regularly. It is easy to feel overwhelmed and insignificant in the face of some of these huge problems - particularly the problems that have been around for a very long time. But, I have come to realize that we have more power than I used to think.
I have decided to take the month of July and create a campaign which I am calling 'BE CAUSE'. I will be shedding some light on human trafficking in our world today and sharing ways that we can make slightly better choices that will have a large collective impact.
My posts will be aimed at raising peoples' awareness of human trafficking and sharing how you can help by slightly changing some of your day-to-day choices.
Be Cause–you don't get to choose IF you affect the world, but you do get to choose HOW you affect the world.
COPY:
This photo is a sex trafficked victim, age 13, preparing to go to school. She doesn’t like to be in the spotlight, and I feel fortunate that she feels close enough to me to allow me to take her photo. She is smart, kind and thoughtful. She left the organization this year to help her mom make a living and my only connection with her now is through a social media channel which she has very limited access to. I love her so much that I’m willing to drop everything to see her if anything bad happens.
This photo is a sex trafficked victim, age 13, preparing to go to school. She doesn’t like to be in the spotlight, and I feel fortunate that she feels close enough to me to allow me to take her photo. She is smart, kind and thoughtful. She left the organization this year to help her mom make a living and my only connection with her now is through a social media channel which she has very limited access to. I love her so much that I’m willing to drop everything to see her if anything bad happens.
There are many parents who love their children but because they are having to work long hours or needing to work more than 1 job, the children are left at home alone. Often the parents' jobs don't pay enough to get by. These children, being by themselves, are sometimes kidnapped by traffickers.
Companies who don’t pay a living wage are not concerned about worker well-being and are part of this trafficking problem. I’ve found 2 great fashion sources (listed below) that have researched and graded companies on their ethical treatment of workers. I’ve also highlighted a few companies on the next image from these 2 sources.
There have been some improvements in some companies from the past years. It shows that we need to keep current on companies' current grade. I believe if we continue to make our voice heard by voting with our dollars and sharing in social media then we can make a difference.
Be Cause–children look to us to protect them.
COPY:
I met a 6 yr old girl who tried to hide her tears from me. When she was 3 yrs old her uncle raped her and pimped her out to sex tourists. Her grandmother realized what was happening and to save her, sent her to live with the organization. She still goes back to see her family once a year.
I met a 6 yr old girl who tried to hide her tears from me. When she was 3 yrs old her uncle raped her and pimped her out to sex tourists. Her grandmother realized what was happening and to save her, sent her to live with the organization. She still goes back to see her family once a year.
Unless a child has the courage to testify against their family, the child by law (in this particular country), can’t be taken away from the family. The family, therefore, has the ultimate decision on where she lives. Sometimes, after a child goes home for the visit, they don’t come back to the organization.
Most of the girls who have just come back from their family visits are very sad. I can’t tell if something bad happened during their visit or if they miss their family or both. In these tough situations, I’m only allowed to be present and available for them—to listen only if they feel comfortable talking.
It was study time when I saw her. She was sitting far away from the other girls, trying to cover her tears. I came over and sat next to her and she quickly tensed up, pretending that she’s deep in her studies. I tried small talk but quickly realized that she only wanted to be by herself. A 6yr old, hiding her emotions. It breaks my heart every time I think about it. Be Cause–I care.
